Dispensers for containers



Jan. 13, 1959 H. L. LoEw ETAL DISPENSERS Fox CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed DeG. 16, 1955 w a', FIL.

HAROLD L. L OEW Rocco Rombo INVENTUM ROBERTMRUBEN ATTORNEY.

Jan. 13, 1959 H. l.. oEw ET AL 2,868,415

DISPENSERS FOR CONTAINERS Filed Deo. 16, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fmg@ HAROLD L. I OEW, ROCCO R, ODDO JNVENTORS: ROBERT MRUBEN BY 5N ATTORNEY` hliiiddlh Patented dan. i3, i959 par p assente nrsrnNsnns non coNrAiNnns Harold L. Loew, New York, Rocco R. Uddo, Brooklyn, and Robert M. Ruhen, Forest Hilis, N. Y.

Application December 16, 1955, Serial No. 553,522

11 Claims. (Cl. 222-96) Our invention relates to spouts, dispensers and pouring devices and the like, and particularly to a special dispenser for containers.

The main object of our invention is to provide a container with an inserted dispenser which produces its opening in the container and then remains in situ as a pouring or dispensing spout for the container thus opened.

Another object of our invention is to have a dispenser for various shapes of containers, whether square, rec tangular or round, and which will serve as well on any one thereof.

A further object of this invention is to have a dispenser for such containers which is readily applied to the top of the container and forced down thereon to provide the desired opening and a downwardly bent internal flap formed by a cutter on said dispenser.

Yet another object of the invention is to have such a dispenser for containers which is capable of tirst cutting open the container and then seating in effective position to completly control the opening produced.

it is an important `object of our invention to include an outer guide plate of angular or curved form to tit outside a corner or the side of a container, together with an inner cutter for piercing the container top in such fashion that the container corner or wall becomes clamped, as it were between the guide plate and the cutter.

Another important object of the invention is to pro vide a slidable cover for the dispenser which automatically becomes the cover for the container when the dispenser has once been inserted.

An ancillary object is to include detent means tending to retain the cover in either open or closed position, in order to ensure dispensing or retention of the contents of the container at will.

lt is likewise an object herein to have a dispenser of the character indicated which may be made from metal, alloy or any rigid and suitable plastic.

A further object is to have the cover of such outline and construction that when it is closed it conceals the opening in the container as well as that in the dispenser.

A practical object is to have such a container dispenser constructed according to a simple yet effective engineering design that renders it particularly amenable to easy and speedy manufacture in order to lower the cost and encourage wide distribution on the market.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear in greater detail as the speciiication proceeds.

in order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the corner of a container with a dispenser inserted into operative position which embodies our invention in a practical form; the cover being shown closed;

Figure 2 is a similar View of the same parts showing the cover of the dispenser open;

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Figure 3 is a vertical section of the dispenser as taken on line 3--3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the dispenser alone as seen from the opposite direction to that of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a bottom perspective of the dispenser alone;

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the same dispenser showing the cover closed;

Figure 7 is another bottom view of showing the cover part way open;

Figure 8 is a further bottom view showing the cover fully open;

Figure 9 is a bottom view of the cover alone;

Figure 10 is a top plan view of a modication of our dispenser when alone; showing the cover closed;

Figure 11 is a similar top plan View showing the cover open; and

Figure 12 is a `bottom view of the same modication showing the cover open.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts and features.

Modern packaging largely involves containers of all sorts and sizes, with emphasis on rectangular, square and round containers. Almost everything in food studs, materials of manufacture, chemicals, dyes, paints and oils, etc., is now packed in containers, so that a method and means for opening such containers and dispensing their contents becomes an important matter. However, as yet, nothing has generally been adopted for such a purpose, although the need is evident. Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to us that a special dispenser should be available which can. be manually pressed into place upon a container and is eiective to pierce the top and form an opening while turning down an internal iiap and itself becoming firmly seated upon the wall of the container so as to serve as a spout provided with a convenient closure for opening and closing the container opening thus made. As a result, we have succeeded in producing a special container dispenser along the lines already mentioned hereinbefore, which will now be described in detail in the following.

Hence, in the practice of our invention, and referring said dispenser i also again to the drawings, a container to be opened and ld and l5.

partly indicated at 13 has two sides 14 and l5 disposed at right angles to each other and a top 16. The corner formed by these sides and top is a suitable portion of the container to be provided with the opening, as the contents will readily gravitate toward a corner when the container is tipped in that direction. Thus, a dispenser, generally indicated at 17 is first placed over the corner mentioned and has a guide plate formed of two angular sides t8 and 19 which are placed against container sides The dispenser has an inner pendent angular cutter 2@ terminating at the bottom in an acute angled piercing point 2l and connected integrally with the guide plate by a top portion 22 which may easily be pressed down manually to force the cutter to cut into the container top 16 and have the walls or sides i4 and 15 straddled or clamped by the cutter and guide plate.

Thementioned top portion 22 is substantially L-shaped when seen from above, and has an L-shaped recess Z3 for a purpose that will presently appear. ln any event, when the inner cutter penetrates the top i6, means are included to ensure that an inside Hap is formed and bent down out of the Way as indicated at 24 in Figure 3 wherein the container walls and top are shown in phantom lines. The particular means for this purpose is a central rib 2S extending into the angle between the cutter walls 2S and 29 in such fashion `as to bisect the angle formed by these walls. This rib is preferably integral with the cutter and the underside 26 is inclined with the vertical and extends down toward the point 2l.

assente of the vcutter but terminates short of the same. When the cutter penetrates the top it utilizes this central rib to turn and thereby form a practical closure. Upon the cover is fixed a linger piece 33 by which to manipulate it for opening and closing of the same. Such operation is facilitated by a guide frame 34 fixed upon the upper portion -of rib 25 and-provided with undercut sides 35, 36 engaging in dovetail relation with the undercut dovetail slot portions 37, 38 of the cover, thereby retaining'the cover assembled with the dispenser body 17 while allowing this cover to slide from an open position shown in Figures 2, 7 and 8, to a closed position appearing inFigures 1, 5 and 6. In order to vdetermine open and closed positions of the cover, the mentioned guide frame 34 has an elongated slot 39 terminating in end detents 40, 41 with'which a detent pini-42 secured beneath cover Sti is adapted to engage. These detents are located in one side of slot 39 which also has an external cutout portion 43 to render the same side of the frame resilient so that the pin 42 will encounter resilient frictional resistance along the slot while the frame gives slightly to allow for freeing the pin from one detent when sliding the cover from open to closed position and thenrengaging the pin in the other detent to frictionally retain the cover in attained position. This voperation is particularly shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, whichprinciple is effective whether the cover is shifted from closed to open position or vice versa.

The arrangement is such that when the dispenser is mounted upon the corner of a container as described, the contents of the latter may be dispensed through the dispenser by sliding the cover into rear openposition and the container then tipped sufficiently to pour through this dispenser until enough of said contents has been dispensed, when the container is righted again and the cover slid forward to closed position. The length of slot 39 with kthe two Yend detents determines the range of movement Vof the cover from open toV closed position. On the other hand, inasmuch as the detent pin thus serves to stop the cover andalso prevent the same from being pulled off the guide frame34, it is the key member that retains the cover assembled with the body 17 of the dispenser. Consequently, when this cover is about to be assembled with, the dispenser body as mentioned, the pin is inserted and cemented in the hole .44 of the cover (Figure 9) after the cover has beenslid in place upon guideframe 34. When once the pin has been secured in its position upon the cover, the cover is no longer capable of being removed from the dispenser body off from guide frame 34 just mentioned.

The dispenser thus far set forth serves for square and rectangular containers and is quite serviceable therefor, but as seen in Figures 10, l1 and l2, a modication, generally indicated at 45 is especially adapted for use with round or `oval containers. For this purpose,` the outer guide plate 46 is curved upon a large arc, while the inner cutter 47 is also curved upon a smaller arc. Upon the top or bridge portion 48 which interconnects the guide plate and the cutter, the recess for receiving the cover at 49 is likewise curved to correspond to the curved front edge 5t) of cover 51. The remaining parts such as the central rib, the guide frame, slot and ,detents, as well as the detent pin and linger piece on the cover are substantially the same as already shown and set forth in connection with the other views. The `operating principles are also the same as before, except that the containers '4 for which the dispenser of Figures l0, ll and l2 are suited are rounded or oval in form but with llat tops.

in the form of dispenser disclosed in Figures l to 10, as also in Figures 10 to 12, the inner cutter may be generally parallel while spaced a short distance apart to receive the container wall between them, but preferably, the cutter and guide plate diverge downwardly from one to ten degrees, for example, about five degrees in order to effect a confining clamping effect upon the wall of the container received between these members. On the other hand, while the guide plate has been shown and described as a single plate, we may instead use a plurality of pendent guide elements such as rods or bars depending from the top or bridge portion 22, if desired.

Although not shown in Figures l0 to l2, the enveloping cover corners 52, 53 with recess portions 54, 55 for receiving the ends 56 and 57 of the dispenser top 22 (Figures l, 2, 5 toS), may also be incorporated in the round container dispenser 45, if desired.

in any form of our dispenser, the same may be made of any alloy suitable for the purpose or of any plastic, and may be made integral or built up as an assembly from several parts, as desired. Even the proportions of the parts and members of our dispenser may be altered in various ways without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described our invention, We claim:

l. A dispenser for a container, including a curved wall forming an outer guide means adapted to engage upon the outside of a container, a pendent member forming a curved cutter spaced a short distance inwardly from the curved wall or guide means, a top forming a'bridge portion rigidly interconnecting the outer guide means and the upper end of the cutter, and a member upon the cutter rigidly and intermediately disposed thereon for turning the tlap upon the container inwardly which-is Yformed by insertion of said cutter in the top of said container.

2. A dispenser according to claim l, whereinthe cutter termina-tes at the bottom in a point and the member upon the cutter consists of a rib centrally. fixed in radially inwardly extending position within vthe curved wall and having a downwardly and outwardly inclined inner ledge adapted to engage against the flap of the container formed by said cutter. i

3. A dispenser for a container, including an outer guide means adapted to engage upon the outside of a container and consisting of a pair of guide walls meeting at an angle of about 90 to tit the corner of a rectangular container,l

a pendent cutter spaced a short distance inwardly from the guide means and consisting of a pair of cutter walls meeting at a similar angle and terminating at the lower end in a cutting point, a top or bridge portion rigidly interconnecting the outer guide means and the upper end of the cutter, and a rib member upon the cutter extending centrally into the internal angle of said cutter and having a downwardly and outwardly inclined inner edge serving to engage against the ap upon the container formed by saidcutter and turning said flap inwardly during insertion of the cutter into the container.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the top or bridge portion upon the dispenser has a recess portion in the inner edge thereof, and a cover is slidably mounted upon the upper portion of the central rib in effective condition to be shifted from an open position spaced inwardly from said bridge ,portion to a closed position in which the forward edge of said cover lits into the recess portion.

5. A.v dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the central rib has a stationary guide upon the upper portion thereof with undercut guide edges upon the sides thereof, and the cover has a corresponding slot with undercut edges receiving the stationary guide in dove-tail relation,

and wherein me-ans are included for retaining the cover assembled with the dispenser.

6. A dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the cover at its forward edge has a bottom recess portion allowing the forward edge to enter in upon and overlap the recess portion of the bridge portion of the dispenser.

7. A dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the cover has enveloping corners fitting the outer ends of the bridge portion in closed position of said cover.

8. A dispenser according to claim 5 wherein the sta-` tionary guide is a guide frame having an elongated slot therein with detents at both ends to determine extreme open and closed position of the cover and the side portion of the guide frame between the detents has an externally cut out portion rendering said side portion resilient to offer resilient frictional resistance to -a stop member moving along the slot, and wherein the cover has a detent pin upon the underside thereof forming the stop member in said elongated slot.

9. A dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the curved wall forming the guide means and the curved member forming the cutter diverge downwardly from the bridge portion at an yangle of about ve degrees.

10. A dispenser according to claim 2wherein the top or bridge portion of the dispenser has a recess portion at the inner edge thereof, and a cover is slidably mounted upon the upper portion of the central rib in effective condition to be shifted from an open position spaced inwardly from said bridge portion to a closed position in which the forward edge of the cover ts into the recess portion `upon said bridge portion.

11. A dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the cover at its forward edge has a bottom recess portion allowing the forward edge to enter in upon and overlap the recess portion of the bridge portion of said dispenser.

Wiswell June 3, 1947 

